Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Born in 1926 in Ghardaïa, in the Chebka of M’Zab, Hadj Omar Cheikh-Salah had a unique journey, whether in terms of his school career and his research on Islamic science or his social commitment within the Mozabite community.
From 1933 to 1939, Sheikh Hadj Omar lived, since his early childhood, in Aïn Beida (wilaya of Oum El-Bouaghi), with his father Salah, who owned a small retail business there. Little Omar, then aged seven, simultaneously joined the French school and the zaouïa Tidjania of Aïn Beida to learn the Holy Quran. Throughout his life, he had several strings to his bow: member of the ”Halkate El-Azzaba”, teacher of the Quran, diligent preacher of the Friday prayer, conciliator, president of his fraction (At-Hamada) and merchant. His thinking is eclectic, clearly posing problems of social life. He had a well-tempered specificity being a seasoned descendant of the El-Hayat Institute of the city of Guerrara.
On the occasion of the first anniversary of his death, a vibrant tribute was paid to this great spiritual leader, a man of science and culture. The commemoration of this anniversary date was used by his seven children, his relatives, friends of the deceased, including the “Azzabas” (the High Council of Mozabite Sages) to evoke the many good contributions of this eminent man, who devoted a good part of his life to teaching the Holy Quran, Islamic science and the noble values of the lineage of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).
Upon his return home, Sheikh Hadj Omar joined the first Koranic school of Baizi, in Ghardaïa, from 1939 to 1943, composed of three classes, where he continued to learn the Holy Koran under the good education of his two former teachers, the late Sheikh Hadj Salah Babekeur and Sheikh Hadj Banouh Mosbah.
The Quest for Knowledge
Sheikh Hadj Omar proved to be studious with exemplary results in the various Koranic schools he attended, which allowed him to continue, without difficulty, his little path as a schoolboy, by willingly accepting the good proposal of his father Salah to go to the El-Hayet Institute of Guerrara, and this from 1943 to 1948. He studied and recited the entire Koran there and perfected himself in the sciences of linguistics, mysticism and the interpretation of the Koran and the hadith.
At the El-Hayet Institute, he was accepted into the institute’s commission, in cultural and scouting activities, created by the late Sheikh Brahim Bayoud, “proven master of the majority of the Ibadis of M’Zab”. His companions at the institute wondered how this religious figure had been able to combine both cultural and social values. It is said that this sheikh is a striking example of the liveliness of Arab-Muslim culture, whose values he expresses with great freedom and which he reconciles with true religious values.
Sheikh Hadj Omar’s rich academic background, acquired at the El-Hayat Institute in Guerrara, reflects his solid skills in the field of teaching religious facts (Quran and hadiths). From 1981 to 1985, he was asked to teach at the Balahcène Quranic school, at the great El-Atik mosque in Ghardaïa.
Having devoted his life to others, Sheikh Omar Sheikh Salah, known for his educational and cultural activism, was appointed in 1961 as a member of the El-Islah Association of Ghardaia, created in 1928. And to his great joy, he was also appointed in 1963 as an active member of the High Council of Azzabas, then as a preacher (orator) of Friday prayers, at the great El-Atik mosque of Ghardaia. In 1963, he was appointed as an active member of the Ammi Said Foundation, “high authority of religious institutions of the Ibadi rite in Algeria”. A man of trust and accuracy, Sheikh Hadj Omar Sheikh Salah was chosen in 1994 to manage the finances of the El-Islah Association, replacing the late Sheikh Banouh Mosbah.
A great conciliator between people in disagreement, the human, intellectual and moral qualities of this scholar, who fought “tirelessly” against attempts to violate the values of the Muslim religion, were highlighted by the participants in the commemorative ceremony.
The deceased, known for his belief in the foundations of Ibadi thought, which are structured around three main axes: religious doctrine or dogma, culture and theology (ijtihad on the good practice of religion), distinguished himself by his erudition, his piety and his dedication in promoting Arab-Muslim culture. He is a “pride for Ghardaia, for Algeria and for all Arab culture,” said Si Hadj Mahfoud Nedjar, one of the spiritual friends of the Sheikh, Hadj Omar Sheikh Salah, who was keen to highlight the “volume of his training in religious sciences,” acquired assiduously during his school career.
A man of religion and a fervent revolutionary
A great defender of Islam, Sheikh Omar Sheikh Salah was also the icon of the Algerian revolution. He was a great nationalist who campaigned since his childhood for the rise of the noble values of the Revolution. He worked in complete anonymity, instilling nationalism as well as love of the homeland and the freedom of his country. For the record, his son Salah tells us, Sheikh Omar Sheikh Salah, despite his young age, was kidnapped from his father’s store in Aïn Beida by the French occupation and imprisoned for a few days.
In 1957, while he was teaching the Koran in Sétif, between 1957 and 1958, in the back room of Ahmani Hadj Slimane’s store, transformed into a small madrasa, he was imprisoned with the latter by the French occupation, for having observed an eight-day banned strike, decreed by the Algerian revolution to protest the repression by the French occupation against the Mozabite traders of the city of Sétif.
Thus, in parallel with his cultural activities, Sheikh Omar Sheikh Salah turned in 1959 towards a commercial activity, owning a store on Ibn-Rostom Street in Ghardaïa, in association with his brother Hadj Ahmed.
The family of Sheikh Hadj Omar Sheikh Salah therefore commemorated this event on the occasion of the first anniversary of his death in a memorable conviviality, during a traditional meal attended by several guests who came to testify to the educational authority enjoyed by the deceased, in addition to his cultural depth, which he had perfected with his erudition and the exercise of a very lively thought, free from any compromise.
Indeed, during this religious ceremony, the guests who came to pay their last respects to the great Sheikh did not fail to highlight “the wisdom, tolerance and modesty of the eminent Sheikh”, recalling the qualities that enabled him to be “one of the knowledgeable theologians of Ghardaïa and Algeria”.
They also praised the deceased’s ability to convince his audience through the oratory art he mastered, following the path of Algerian ulama in the service of Islam. He was described as an educator and reformer versed in Islamic sciences who devoted his life to the service of the M’Zab community and the nation. All were unanimous in emphasizing the qualities of this religious figure. His apparent intransigence concealed a very sensitive and compassionate personality, according to the witnesses.
Sheikh Hadj Omar Sheikh Salah was a “citizen” in the broad sense of the term. He contributed to the management of the Mozabite community as a manager, thinker, researcher and teacher. An intelligent, humble, calm and very discreet man, this spiritual leader is loved and appreciated by all. He will remain a model of sacrifice and love for others, without any distinction.
This tribute was paid to him so that those who knew him would spread the good word about him for future generations. Sheikh Hadj Omar Sheikh Salah acted, during most of his career in teaching and in his daily life, according to this prophetic sentence: “Do good in secret, Allah the Almighty blesses all gestures of love that others will not see.”
This is why the city of Ghardaia, which he loved so much and for which he participated in the education of his youth and that of others for decades, would be honored to see the name of “Cheikh Omar Cheikh Salah” given to one of the educational establishments.
The day before his death, while he was among his family around a glass of tea, he was suddenly shaken by weakness and helplessness, then fainted. A few hours later, on March 3, 2023, at 5 a.m., he gave up the ghost and left this world. A light that went out in the eyes of his family, his children, his loved ones, all his sympathizers and the entire Mozabite community to whom he gave so much.
A large-scale funeral was reserved for him on the morning of this unforgettable Friday, when a large number of faithful gathered. He was buried in the large Baissa El-Alouane cemetery in Ghardaïa, next to his family and friends who also died so that Algeria could live. That day, an entire community endured the painful ordeal of the death of one of the greatest sheikhs of the Mozabite community, in the person of Hadj Omar Cheikh Salah, at the age of 97.